The Storm: Redemption
Chapter Twenty-Four
By Gayforkurt
Summary: Famous countertenor Kurt Hummel and billionaire entrepreneur Dave Karofsky must come to terms with the past but bitter feelings make a future for these two headstrong men highly unlikely. This is rated M.
A/N 1: You guys have been so great to review my little story and to even PM me with your insights. You are the best, thank you! Please, keep that feedback coming.
Disclaimer: Messrs. Ryan, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favorite boys. Only the OCs belong to me, alas.
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KHDK
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Oh my god, Kurt thought as he collapsed in an armchair, Christmas shopping is way too exhausting! He smiled in appreciation and thanks as Puck handed him a tumbler of brandy, sipping the fortifying drink thirstily. The tanned man lifted an eyebrow at Kurt's sprawl and then excused himself to go find his team.
"Oh, yes, that's good, mmmm!" Kurt licked his lips and smiled happily at his stepmother who was similarly collapsed in another armchair. He looked around at the wonderfully decorated living room, silently thanking Mrs. L. and the girls for doing the lion's share of the work. Christmas week was busy for them at the theatre, what with 'Midsummer' performances wrapping up and the ongoing rehearsals for the command performance.
Kurt savoured the delicious liqueur as he ran over his to-do-list in his mind. He'd already got most of his gifts sorted out and he smiled as he anticipated the pleasure on the faces of the recipients. That was the main thing about gift-giving for him – watching the expressions of his loved ones as they opened their gifts. He put a lot of effort into selecting gifts, he always had, even as a child. It wasn't so much about the gratitude as it was about knowing that he'd given pleasure to those who gave him love and affection in unmeasured quantities.
Like most men, though, he'd had his gifts wrapped at the places he'd purchased them. He really didn't have the time to struggle with wrapping paper, tape and ribbons like when he was a kid. Now he took as much pleasure in seeing the perfectly professionally-wrapped gifts as if he'd done them himself. He did reserve the right, however, to choose the paper. That was very important to him as he felt the paper should reflect the personality of the recipient.
His eyes fell on the huge blue spruce in one corner and he giggled softly to himself. This was the first time he'd had a blue spruce and he loved the look of it with all the decorations he'd selected himself. As he surveyed the room with a fond gaze, he marveled that such a large room could look warm and cozy but the ladies had done a wonderful job and he'd been happy for their help. Though he had come home late some nights, they'd got some decorating done each time and by the weekend all was in place. He leaned over to a crystal bonbon dish on the table before him and popped a chocolate into his mouth.
He chewed the confection with relish, realizing that he was famished and then noticed that he could smell the delicious aroma of food baking. He leapt to his feet and headed to the kitchen, asking Carole on his way out if she wanted anything.
She popped open one sleepy eye to let him know that yes, she could murder a sandwich now and he laughed all the way to the kitchen. There he found his dad, relaxed and munching away at a piece of fruit-studded, wine-rich cake. He halted dramatically with a huge gasp and when his dad looked up guiltily he sauntered over to the older man.
"Burt Hummel, in the kitchen, sneaking some cake. What will we do with you?" He dropped a kiss on his dad's head (thank god he'd given up those ridiculous trucker's hats, he thought) and went over to peer at what Eddy was basting.
"Well, Eddy here had just taken this sample out and I was just letting her know if it's okay," came the cake-muffled response as Burt stuffed the last piece into his mouth. Kurt looked at Eddy and then back at the cake-guzzling culprit before chuckling ruefully.
"Eddy, Eddy, you can't let him get around you like that!" Kurt teasingly scolded the plump cook while trying to snitch a piece of the roast beef before her.
She sent a little glare his way at his antics and replied sternly: "I tried to remind him of the diet, Mr. Kurt, but he said it's almost Christmas and wasn't a man allowed a little break. Hmmph," and glanced over accusingly at the elder Hummel.
Kurt hummed and licked off some juice from his fingers. "Mmmmm, this is soooo good and I'm starving. I can't really blame dad, y'know, Eddy. It's your fault your food is irresistible!"
"Aw, go on with you, you charmer. There's a leg of ham over on the side table. I'll have one of the girls do up some sandwiches; is that okay?" Eddy smiled at the younger man, loving as always any compliment to her prowess as a cook.
Kurt nodded happily and sauntered over to his dad, peering at the tabloid he was reading and stopping short. "Oh, yeah, thanks Eddy, and enough for my stepmom too, please." He leaned over his father's shoulders and stared down at the photo spread he had open.
He'd remembered seeing a number of photographers at one of the recent dress rehearsals but had dismissed them from his mind. Burt looked up and smiled proudly at him. "This is a good one of you, son. I like this costume."
The picture was one of him performing a solo from 'Sunset Boulevard'. The old velvet smoking jacket was designed to look as if it was from the silent films era; he was playing a male version of Norma Desmond so his makeup had aged him but not too much. He looked distinguished and, all in all, it was a very good photo.
It was taken just as he was looking off to stage right ("…this world has waited long enough, I've come home at last!") and his face seemed to be glowing in the lights. He very rarely looked at the stuff printed in the papers about him but this was an article about the upcoming command performance in the Arts & Leisure section.
Once again he thought back to the changes Rex had informed the company about at their last meeting. He knew that in shows of this size and scope, sometimes segments were taped so maybe that's what they'd be doing this time. He clapped his dad on the shoulder and headed back to the living room, humming happily because it was Christmas.
Carole had dozed off so he gently nudged her to tell her one of the girls would be bringing a snack out to her shortly. He let her know he was heading up to his suite to drop off his purchases and change into something more comfortable. She smiled and nodded sleepily and he dashed off upstairs, grinning to himself at the thought of his gifts. He had to find somewhere to stash them so David wouldn't get too nosy.
He barged into the suite, humming a holiday song softly and laid down the shopping bags. He moved towards the bedroom, tugging off his cashmere scarf as he went. He pushed the doors open and then stopped in his tracks. A laugh erupted from his throat before he caught himself and shook his head fondly.
There in the middle of the four-poster bed was a small, white teddy bear sitting with a gift-wrapped box between its limbs. Kurt continued to chuckle as he looked at the little thing, its amber eyes gazing back at him fixedly. Walking over to the bed, Kurt perched on the edge and lifted the fuzzy little thing, removing the box carefully.
His breath caught as it dawned on him that the box was just the length and shape of a jewelry box. He briefly admired the wrapping paper and silver bow before utterly demolishing them to get at the gift. He paused a bit so as to draw out the suspense and then he slowly lifted the box's lid. Gasping at the contents, Kurt took up the gift and stared at it, his mouth dropping open in awe.
There, dangling from his hand was a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet, the jewels winking at him even in the soft lighting in the bedroom. Suddenly his mobile rang and he startled, having gone into a slight daze while staring at the beautiful work of art in his hand.
"Kurt, Kurt, hello?"
"David, oh my goodness! Oh, sweetie, it's beautiful!"
The sound of David's pleased laughter came from the tiny speakers on the phone. Kurt had automatically put it on speaker so he could lay it down while he clipped the bracelet to his wrist.
"I love it, sweetheart, thank you! Wait, it's not Christmas yet. What are you up to and how did you know I'd just found it?" Kurt narrowed his eyes suspiciously even though he'd not stopped staring at the twinkling jewels of the bracelet.
He could hear David chuckling: "I asked Carole to call me and let me know when you'd be heading upstairs after your shopping outing."
Kurt smirked. "You think you're so sneaky, don't you. Anyway, I absolutely forgive you. Oh, and the little guy is cute, too!"
"I'm glad you like it, babe. I've gotta go, a couple of folks are waiting for me to wrap up a meeting. See you in a few. Love you!"
"Love you, too, and hurry home!" Kurt blew a couple of kisses to him as he disconnected and turned back to the little stuffed toy still sat watching him. He took up the little fellow and rubbed his pointy nose against its snub nose. "Don't worry," he told it, "I'll find a place of honor for you, okay?"
He giggled at his own childishness and went back out to the sitting room, looking around for somewhere to put the toy. He found the perfect place right by the antique French classic telephone in blue and gold he'd fallen love with. The tiny white teddy bear looked perfect on that desk as it leaned against the phone.
Satisfied with his arrangement, Kurt went to wash up quickly and headed downstairs for his snack. He hoped Eddy would include a piece of that cake that his dad was eating because he was absolutely starving!
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KHDK
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David had decided not to let Kurt in on the fact that the meeting he was in the course of wrapping up was not just with 'a couple of folks'. Present in the huge office with him were Puck, the security team, Kurt's director Rex, his stage manager George and a team from the palace's press office.
The meeting was to plan the logistics of the changes David had requested of the Princess and to work out any kinks that might appear. The palace's security would be involved to a point but their involvement would be minimal, Dave hoped.
Ideas and suggestions were put forward, either accepted or vetoed by Dave or Rex and by the time 5 o'clock came around, the men were pretty much satisfied with what they would put in place. The others were very clear on what they were expected to do, especially the security team who had had the experience of dealing with things like this on previous jobs.
Rex heaved a weary sigh as he and George took their leave of the billionaire and headed back to the theatre for that night's performance. Kurt was off and his understudy was on tonight and Rex felt a slight twinge of guilt as he wondered if maybe Kurt should just take the rest of the season off. They would close anyway the day before Christmas Eve and then there would be plans to put in place for their gig in Italy at La Scala. He knew it would be an uphill battle getting the diva to abrogate his responsibilities in the face of this personal threat, though, so he didn't even bother to bring it up.
The team from the press office was next to depart, going over last-minute things with Puck and his team. David kept his fingers crossed as he prayed that things would go off without a hitch. The money he was donating to the Princess's favourite charity didn't matter to him as long as he had the freedom to implement this plan to protect Kurt. The publicity wasn't even a factor because if all of this came to light, he doubted anyone would blame him for the lengths to which he'd gone.
He and Puck finally got the chance to head out and they headed down to the basement garage, making sure not to discuss their plans while they walked through the busy offices. You never knew who was on the take and though it might seem cynical, that was how the world was, unfortunately. They walked in silence and it was only when they reached the waiting car with Devon at the wheel that they actually relaxed somewhat.
Puck jumped into the passenger seat, sending an intimate little smile over at the young security agent. Devon didn't acknowledge him overtly but Puck noticed the heightened color in the younger man's face, the quick, sudden flicker of eyelashes in his direction, and felt satisfied.
He was really into the younger agent but he felt he couldn't (or rather shouldn't) make a move until this thing with the Smythe-Heffley woman was resolved. He didn't want either of them to be distracted by their libidos as that could have all sorts of disastrous consequences. The lives of their principals depended on him and his team being alert at all times.
Yet Puck admitted that for the first time he was looking forward to a time when he could delegate more to Ian, his second. Over the years, after he'd joined Dave as his security chief, he'd revamped the billionaire's security system and he'd found the work extremely fulfilling. Now, though, he wanted more out of his life than just work. He absolutely loved working for Dave – sometimes it felt as if he was being paid to enjoy himself – and the work was time-consuming. Now, as he looked at the man beside him, he realized he wanted what Dave had, someone who would be the focus of his hopes and his dreams for the future.
He smiled to himself, wondering how exactly Devon would react if he could hear his thoughts about him. Not to worry, he sighed, there would be time enough to find out. At least, that was his fervent wish, because with a job like theirs, nothing was ever quite guaranteed.
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KHDK
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The week before Christmas flew by in a whirl of activities surrounding preparations for the holiday and Kurt's house-warming party. Kurt and Mrs. L. met with the caterers who would also be handling the liquor for the occasion and Dave and Puck sorted out additional security for the grounds. Having nearly 200 people driving in and out that night would be a logistic nightmare in light of recent events.
Still, one of the many highlights of that hectic week was the daily discovery of another wonderful gift from David. Kurt's happy laughter could be heard every now and then ringing out from different rooms in the house as Dave had taken to placing his little 'delivery' bears all over the place.
Finally, on the evening of the party, Kurt cornered Dave in the family room and pounced on him, heedless of the fact that Carole was sitting there knitting booties for Finn's newest baby boy.
"David Karofsky, what are you doing?" He could barely get the words out through the cascade of musical chuckles. Carole put down the knitting to watch her stepson straddle his lover on the huge sofa.
"What? I don't know what you are talking about!" Dave tried to maintain a straight face even as Kurt pointed to a little black bear lurking behind a large floral arrangement on a sideboard.
"I just saw that one peeking out and guess what? He has a box between his paws!" Kurt dropped a series of kisses all over Dave's upturned face, making his stepmother smile fondly at them.
Dave eased his squirming lover back onto his knees; anymore of that kind of movement directly in his lap and things would soon start looking up. He glanced over at Carole who just rolled her eyes and continued her knitting.
"Sweetie, why don't you go and see what the little guy has this time?" He smiled as Kurt pouted because his kisses were being interrupted.
"Oh, alright," and he bounced over to the little ebony-furred bear, admiring the red bow with the white polka dots around its tiny throat. He slid the box gently from between the paws and fell to ripping the gift wrap paper to pieces.
"Awww, David, another one?" His smile threatened to split his face in half as he lifted the cover of the box. "Oh, my, sweetie, goodness, this is absolutely stunning!" His big blue-green eyes widened in awe as he stared at another bracelet. He got up and went over to show Carole the newest gift.
Carole's mouth and eyes rounded as she stared at the platinum cuff-like bracelet studded along its length with black and white diamonds in a checkerboard pattern. The bracelet was a little thicker in width, nothing feminine about it at all but the magnificence of the diamonds took one's breath away.
"Dave, oh my, this is breathtaking. Kurt, you are a very lucky young man!" She beamed at her stepson and then at Dave, her eyes saying how much she appreciated the way he pampered his love.
Dave blushed as he sat watching the two coo over the beautiful jewelry. He was so pleased that Kurt didn't have a problem with him lavishing such gifts on him; some people, if they weren't the gold digger type, would go to the other extreme and seem to have a chip on their shoulder about the inequality in their wealth. Kurt was as generous in receiving as he was in giving and Dave loved him all the more for that trait. Not everyone was a gracious recipient, Dave had found over the years.
Now Kurt bounced back over to him, plopping himself in David's lap and proceeded to kiss him deeply, his palms stroking the sides of David's face and holding him in place. When he'd relinquished David's lips he sat back with a happy sigh. "I think I'll wear this tonight, what do you think?"
He held up the glistening cuff to the light, admiring the twinkling jewels and already planning his outfit. Dave nuzzled his neck, planting little sucking kisses and nips along its smooth length.
"I think whatever you decide, all eyes will be on you, as usual. You are absolutely stunning, even in those ridiculous 'Oberon' costumes," and winced at the little pinch he got for that.
Kurt kissed him in apology. "By the way, you don't have any more of these little trinkets lying in wait for me, do you? This is the seventh one."
Dave shook his head, smiling up at his beautiful lover. He'd had the best time shopping for the bracelets without Kurt's knowledge. So far he'd found a diamond bracelet, one in solid platinum with a scrolling celtic design, a delicate, flower-motif ruby bracelet, an emerald and diamond one, a solid gold bracelet inlaid with sapphires, a platinum-and-diamond one in a beautiful chain-link pattern and now this final one with checkerboard black and white diamonds.
"No, I don't have any more bracelets. I wanted you to have one for each day of the week." He blushed as he looked into Kurt's amazing eyes. His voice fell to a whisper; what he wanted to say should ideally be said when they were alone but he had to let it out right now. "I would shower you with jewels, anything you want, for the rest of our lives, if you would let me."
Kurt felt the tears sting in the back of his nose and he hugged his lover to him. "I know; I see it in your eyes every time you get me something, sweetie."
The two kissed and cuddled for a time, almost forgetting that Carole was across the room in an armchair, ostensibly knitting. They didn't really care that she was there for they knew she loved them and approved of their occasional PDAs. Burt was the one who got a little uncomfortable with their 'billing and cooing', flushing when he came across the two in some room or other attached at the lips.
Carole smiled as she watched the lovers surreptitiously. They were definitely still in the 'honeymoon' phase of their relationship and her heart filled with happiness at their joy in each other.
She sighed as she thought about her son, Finn and his wife, wishing that their 'honeymoon' period had lasted a little longer than it had. Two kids within the first five years of marriage tended to cut that time short, but they loved their boys and now there was vague talk of having a third little one.
Kurt finally stirred from David's lap and pulled the larger man up after him. He turned to his stepmom with a drowsy, satisfied look on his face. "We're going to go up and rest a while before the party, mom. Will you be taking a nap soon?"
Carole put her knitting down, a thoughtful expression on her face. "You know, that's a good idea, lovey. If I can pry your dad away from his new love, we'll head down to the cottage." She smirked as she thought of Burt dogging Eddy's every step and getting underfoot, hoping to score more cake or goodies from the jovial cook.
Kurt huffed a little though he smiled. "You know, dad's going to be quite a bit heavier when he goes home next month." He laughed as he dragged David by the hand out of the room and towards the stairs. "See you later, sweetie," he called out to Carole who simply waved them off.
She smirked as she knew that whatever the two were going to be doing would in no way resemble rest. My, it was so good to be young and in love, she chuckled to herself before rising to go root out Burt from the kitchens.
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KHDK
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Hours later found Kurt in front of a full-length mirror, examining himself critically and then declaring himself satisfied. He loved the look of the Dolce & Gabbana velvet jacket with its silver piping and the way it threw his gleaming porcelain skin into prominence. As the house was warm he'd opted not to wear a shirt with the jacket and he loved how it felt against his bare skin. It was quite sexy too because the top was a little shorter than most jackets and the curved hem meant that when he moved there was a flash of skin every now and then.
The low-cut soft leather pants he wore hugged his hips, ass and thighs lovingly. His shiny black boots, with tiny silver buckles on the back just above the heels, made his legs look as if they went on forever. He knew David would be unable to take his eyes off of him (and hopefully hands!) and that more than anything contributed to his overall feeling of wellbeing.
The final touch to his ensemble was the stunning black and white diamond bracelet David had given him earlier. He couldn't stop looking at it; the design was unusual, to say the least and he knew it would be a conversation piece. He wore it on the wrist of his right hand as he had his watch on the left, a black Movado Fiero that was his gift to himself.
Finally satisfied that everything was as it should be, he headed out into the sitting room, smiling as his lover rose from the sofa to kiss him. Dave looked appropriately stunned as he took in the sight of his beautiful lover in his favorite color, black, and drew a deep breath.
"I think I'm the luckiest man to have you, Kurt, the luckiest and happiest." He didn't feel even the slightest bit sappy as he uttered those words as he knew them to be true.
Kurt blushed at the admiring look in David's eyes; truly, if he were wearing rags he swore he'd see the same look in the other man's eyes. He thought David looked so handsome in a dark chocolate Armani jacket he'd teamed with a moss green silk turtleneck sweater. The suit emphasized the larger man's tall, muscular build and Kurt felt his pulse flutter just looking at him and knowing he was all his.
Now he laughed, his eyes sparkling with happiness, and planted a quick kiss on Dave's mouth before tugging him towards the door. "Come on, sweet talker, we have guests to welcome!"
They headed downstairs to join his parents in the living room, the beautifully decorated house redolent with the smell of good food, hot house flowers and furniture polish. The combination of aromas was a welcoming one and engendered in all a feeling of contentment and that all was right with the world. Nothing could go wrong on such a happy occasion and Kurt, David, Burt and Carole welcomed the first guests with happy smiles and warm greetings.
This Christmas, Kurt felt, was going to be the best Christmas ever.
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TBC
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A/N 2: Coming up next: a surprise for Dave and Emma.
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